Rain shield window sash



w. 'FELKER RAIN SHIELD WINDOW SASH Feb. 26, 1957 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 24, 1953 FIG.

FIG. 5

. INVENTOR WILL MEMQFE ORNEY Feb. 26, 1957 "w, LKER 2,733,040

RAIN SHIELD ,wmvow SASH Filed Nov. 24; 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WILLIAM F KR A ORNEY United States Patent SHIELD-WINDOW-SASH William Felker, 'Braden'ton, Fla. Application November-24, 1953, Serial No. 394,037

tcnims. ((31.268-123 iA'further'objec-tof the invention is to provide .a rain shield window sash of the foregoing character which'is entirely automatic in character and which moves auto- Imatically' from normally raised inoperative position toa lowered or closed position when rain falls .or drives thereon.

Atstillfurther object is to providearain shield window sash which normally maintainsanelevated. position relat'iveto the opening which'willtpermitithefree flow of air through the window but which istso constructed and arranged that rain falling upon thesa'sh will cause it to lower itselftautomatically to alposition where, it fully-covets the window'opening so that-the rain cannot bedriven through the window opening to the interior of the building.

H Another object is to; provide a construction of theIforegoin'g naturei-inwhichthe rain shield window sashwill remain in a"lowered{operativqposition as long assrain r'persists in driving-againstor otherwise accumulating lonthe Surface of the fs'arn'efbiit which will automatically raise *itslt 'toil'evated ino erative I'positi'on upon cessation f 'r'ai'nifall, s'o'that'freshfair ma'yLcozitinue to pass through the lower window opening.

i'k'istill ftl'r'ther objectis to provide .a rains hield window Isash'of"this' nature which operates entirely independent tif'the standard d-ouble hinge sash.

lOthero-bjects'and advantages of the-invention 'will'become'appa'rent as the'des'cription proceeds.

, "Tothe accomplishment 'ofthe fio'regoingan'd related 'entlsfthe invention, then'cornp'rises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed outin the claims, the following desc'riptions'etting forthin detail certain illustrative embodimentsof "the invention, 'these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various waysin which thejp'rinciple of the invention, may be employed.

"Theinventionmore specifically" comprises a light-weight :auxi'lia'ry rain ishield'wi'ndow sash mounted'for vertical movement inthe conventional windowfranie and slidably "heid'in normal elevated position by a sash Weight and "pulleysys'tem' in when the magnitudeo'f' the weight slightly overbalances the weight 'of the sash, a raimwaten'receivingf-gutter 'di sposedialong the bottom edge of the sash which, Whenfilled with'iasuiiicientiarnount of water, will overcometheweight in 'thesashweight and pulley system "'and'lh'us cause ihelsashto lower itself into zlos'dpdsiti'on, f tiornial-ly'clo's'edto retain the rainwater in the gutterbut and "valvesf'in tlie bottom jofg the gutter which are 2,783,040 HaitentedIFb. 26, l-957 2 Whichopen gradually as the gutter contacts the window sill, the valves and valve seats being of; such size and configuration that sufiicien't water is retained in the I gutter to provide weight for overbalancing the sash weight to keep the eash closed so long as rain continues blite'ifec- "tive to release sufficient water through the valves to lighten the weight of the sash so that'thesash weight is then etlective to elevate-the sash" when rainfall ceases.

The 'inven'tionwill be best understood from a consi de'rati'on of the-following detailed desc'ription taken in c'onjunc'tion' with 'the"accompanyiri'g drawings fo riningj'part of this specification, "with the underst'a'ndin'g, h'o' wev'er, that the invention is not to be' c'onfined to 'any strict conformity with 'the showing of the drawings, butniay be changed or modifiedsodong"as'such changes or modifications'mark no-materialdepaiture' from'the salient featfures of the invention as expressed in thie appended claims.

Reference 3 is 'now made to the a'ccornp'anyingdrawings in which like reference*charactersdenote like part s and in which: I

Fig. iliis 1 a' fronte'levation view of the rain shield wintioW sash of the invention mounted in no'rmal elevated i'nop- --erative position in the wooden ='frame :sutrounding a conventional double hung'wind-o'w sash;

Fig. 2 is .a .frontreleva'tioniview fofa rain shield wiridoiw sash in lower onclosedrpositionieifective to eov er the lower *windowiopening;

:Fig. '3 :is ran explo'dedwiew of th'e rain 'shieltlWindow sash showingin 'detailhow the sashiis mounte'din oper a- .tive position withrespect to the mainwindow frame;

Fig. 4: is a viewz in section takenialongi line r4-=-4 ofi Fig Fig. #5 is a-viewqinsection' taken onslineis-es5 o'fFigiZ.

Referring no'w to Figs. l :and 12, :ihe numeral I O -denotes' the eonventional .window frame which ac'comrnodates -t-he so-called double hung window :sa-s' h. In b'oth Figs. 1 and 2 rthe lower -window isash '-has1been el"evated to permit :airto :pass through-the lower openin g into e room or'othe'r spacert o be'ventilated. Hie light-w ight auxiliary rain sh-ield window eash oft the present invention is shown by: the reference-numeral 711- asin el'e'vated inoperative, position in Fig. l and'in loweredropenat iveipo inyFig. 2 :Forfptnposesv ofillustration s theiconven n'al --window='screen 121's shown covetingithe-windowmpe ing. Referring now more -particularlytoFigs. 3 and 24, rain shield window sa's'h offthe:pese trinventionico'mp' rses a frameof-aluminum or other light-weight :metakhavmga M1113, and two sides'14. The'top and sideslarelgene'rally T-shaped in configuration -and\ cross section as shown I in Fig. --4, with a double depending -web,:portion :15 in which isniounted by means of rivets 16, :a -sheet :17.:of'= lightweight Plexiglass or other lightweight transparent :'or translucent material. The bottom of "the framework consistsof a light-weight altiminumxgutter:portion 18 likewise taflixed by :rivets 16 to the framework'lfi, 14. Along the bottom of the; gutter 18 :there is provided a series '-of openings 19 inwhich i s'accommoda'ted a plurality-of: valve vmembers 29, the openings servingzas ivalveiseats {for the valves-19.

Referring now-more particularly to EEigs. 13i'and5, "the operating mechanism for the. auxiliary: rain: shieldwindow sash *is accommodated ::in :a double ihousing r genei ttlly designated at 21. by reference character 22 is adapted to lsl ide over and be aflixedtothe wooden blind. OIiSCI'tEEH SlIOP 223 =tvhieh is ordinarily J between'the lower 'outer:sash runwayiand the'screen; The o'therzpart bfzthe thousingfisdesigna ted byitheinumeral 24. I'n-assembling the rain shield 'window sash for operation there is. Eprovided.;-armounting iStilPc-IZS which consists of aichannelimember folded uponiiitself, -show n with-moreparticularitydmEig.$3. ,:Th' strip, 25:is :adapted to beafiixed to the :side.

I V .tlieifrar'n' 14 by means of a plurality of bolts 26 which passthrough One part of th'eihousing, fdesignated' a plurality of corresponding openings in the mounting strip. The channel of the mounting strip is adapted to receive and securely. hold heads 28 of bolts 29 upon the other ends of which are mounted guide wheels 30, maintained in position by stops 31 and Wing nuts 32. Depending in housing 22 is a sash weight 33 fitted at its bottom with a threaded bolt 34 by means of which additional weights may be added. A fine bronze cable 36 is attached as at 35 to the top of the weight 33 and .this cable passes over a pulley wheel 37 mounted, as shown, between the two housings 22 and 24. As shown, the pulley wheel 37 is mounted in a slot 38 formed in partition 39 dividing housings 22 and 24 one from the other. The pulley wheel 37 is mounted on a short shaft 40 and the assembly is provided with ball bearings 41. to provide for delicate and sensitive balance betwenthe weight and the sash. The other end of the light-weight bronze cable 36 is provided with a hookmember 42 the lower end of which is hooked around the bolt 29 between stop 31 and the mounting strip 25. The housing 24 is provided with a guide track .43 against which wheels30 are adapted to run. The above defined elements when assembled take the mounting and configuration shown in Fig. 5.

While the drawings depict the sash frame made up of separate elements, and the housing 21 consisting of two attached sub-housings 22 and 24, it will be understood that it is within the purview of the invention to manufacture and provide the sash frame and housing as one piece elements, as by extrusion of aluminum.

From the foregoing description it is believed that the operation of the device is readily apparent. As already indicated, the rain shield window sash is normally held, as in Fig. 1, in elevated inoperative position. This is efiected by making weight 33 some two or three ounces heavier than the total weight of the rain shield window sash. When a sudden rain storm or squall comes up and the rain begins driving against the surface of the rain shield window sash, rain water will begin to accumulate in gutter ,18. When the amount of accumulated rain water amounts to more than the two or three ounces by which the sash weight 33 overbalances the weight of the sash, then the rain shield sash will beginto drop and thus cover the opening in the window. Because of the dclicatebalance in the operative mechanism, the sash will lower itself upon accumulation of five or six ounces of rain water in the gutter. When the valves 20 come into contact with the window sill 44, they become unseated and allow the accumulated rain water to drain slowly from the gutter 18. At this point, it will be readily understood that as long as the rain continues and sufli- .cicnt water is accumulated in gutter 18, the sash will remain closed, but when the rain begins to let up, sufficient accumulated rain water has escaped through valve seats 19, and the gutter is not receiving sufficient water to hold it down, then the sash will automatically return to its elevatcd inoperative position.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunc tion with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the rain shield window sash will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to beunderstood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes freely comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a light-weight auxiliary rain shield window sash mounted for vertical movement in a standard window frame and slidably held in normal, elevated, inoperative position by a sash weight and pulley system in which the magnitude of the weight slightly overbalances the weight of the 'sash, a rainwater-receiving gutter disposed along the bottom edge of the sash which, when filled with a suflicient amount of water, will, due solely to the added weight of accumulated rain water in the gutter,

overcome the weight in the sash weight and pulley system and thus cause the sash to move vertically and lower itself into closed position, and valves in the bottom of the gutter which are normally closed to retain the rain water in the gutter, said valves including valve operating means adapted to contact a wind-ow sill to gradually open the valves to release water from the gutter, said valves being closed and the sash remaining in lowered position so long as rain drives thcreagainst at such a rate that a sufiicient amount of water is retained in the gutter to provide weight for overbalancing the sash weight, but said sash being raised automatically when the rain ceases and the valve operating means contacts the window sill to release sufficient water through the valves to lighten the weight of the sash so that the sash weight is then effective to elevate the sash.

In combination, a light-weight auxiliary rain shield window sash mounted for vertical movement in a standard window frame and slidably held in normal, elevated, inoperative position by a sash weight and pulley system in which the magnitude of the weight .slightly over-balances the weight of the sash, a rain-water-receiving gutter disposed along the bottom edge of the sash which, when filled with a sufiicient amount of water, will, due solely to the added weight of accumulated rain water in the gutter, overcome the weight in the sash weight and pulley system and thus cause the sash to move vertically and lower itself into closed position, guide means on said sash for assuring true vertical movement of the sash in the window frame, and valves in the bottom of the gutter which are normally closed to retain the rain water in the gutter, said valves including valve operating means adapted to contact a window sill to gradually open the valves to release Water from the gutter, said valves being closed and the sash remaining in lowered position so long as rain drives thereagainst at such a rate that a sufficient amount of water is retained in the gutter to provide weight for overbalancing the sash weight, but said sash being raised automatically when the rain ceases and the valve operating means contacts the window sill to release sutficient water through the valves to lighten the weight of the sash so that the sash weight is then effective to elevate the sash. 3. In combination, a light-weight auxiliary rain shield window sash mounted for vertical movement in a standard window frame and slidably held in normal, elevated, inoperative position by a sash weight and pulley system in which the magnitude ofthe weight slightly overbalances the weight of the sash, a' rain-water-receiving gutter disposed along the bottom edge of the sash which, when filled with a sufiicient amount of water, will, due solely to the added weight of accumulated rain water in the gutter, overcome the weight in the sash weight and pulley system and thus cause the sash to move vertically and lower itself into closed position, guide means on said sash for assuring true vertical movement of the sash in the window frame, guide means mounted on said window frame cooperating with said first-named guide means, and valves in the bottom of the gutter which are normally closed to retain the rain water in the gutter, said valves including valve operating means adapted to contact a window sill to gradually open the valves to release water from the gutter, said valves being closed and the sash remaining in lowered position so long as rain drives thereagainst at such a rate that a sufiicient amount of water is retained in the gutter to provide weight for overbalancing the sash weight, but said sash being raised automatically when the rain ceases and the valve operating means contacts the window sill to release sufiicient water through the valves to lighten the weight of the sash so that the sash weight is then effective to elevate the sash.

4. In combination, a light-weight auxiliary rain shield window sash mounted for vertical movement in a standard window frame and slidably held in normal, elevated, inoperative position by a sash weight and pulley system in which the magnitude of the weight slightly ovcrbalances the weight of a sash, a rain-water-receiving gutter disposed along the bottom edge of the sash which, when filled with a sufficient amount of water, will, due solely to the added weight of accumulated rain water in the gutter, overcome the Weight in the sash weight and pulley system and thus cause the sash to move vertically and lower itself into closed position, guide means on said sash for assuring true vertical movement of the sash in the Window frame, guide means mounted on said Window frame cooperating with said first-named guide means, a housing mounted on said window frame enclosing both of said guide means, and valves in the bottom of the gutter which are normally closed to retain the rain Water in the gutter, said valves including valve operating means adapted to contact a Window sill to gradually open the valves to release water from the gutter, said valves being closed and the sash remaining in lowered position so long as rain drives thereagainst at such a rate that a sufi'icient amount of water is retained in the gutter to provide Weight for overbalancing the sash weight, but said sash being raised automatically when the rain ceases and the valve operating means contacts the window sill to release sufii cient water through the valves to lighten the weight of the sash so that the sash weight is then effective to elevate the sash.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

